Water Audit Essay

Over the course of a week, I measured how much water I used every day. I learned that
I use about 50 gallons of water a day, 380 a week, and 19,760 a year. That’s a lot. My daily
average is 5 times more than the average family in Africa uses on a daily basis. Most of the
water I used was used in the shower. I think this is because I don’t always think about the
amount of water being used and I end up taking longer showers than is necessary. The least
amount to water that I used was from my water bottle. I think this was because I only use this
once a day and it’s not that big. The average person in America uses 80- 100 gallons of water a
day, I use much less.
There are lots of ways to conserve water. Some are easy, every day steps people can
take, and some require a bit more effort, especially if they are on a larger scale. At a very
minimum everyone should turn off the water when doing things like brushing your teeth, and
washing your face. You can also conserve water by taking shorter showers, not taking baths,
and not running the dishwasher/ washing machine unless they’re full. You can also make flyers
to inform others of the ways that they can conserve water. Some of the more difficult and time
consuming ways to help conserve water are to install high efficiency appliances, or to donate to
organizations that help keep our water clean. The city of Austin also has restrictions in place on
how much water you can use.
In the end it turns out my water usage is below average for America. This may be
because I’ve recently started to become more aware of how much water I use on a daily basis.
On a global scale, however, my water consumption is well above average. At the current rate
the world is consuming water, 50% of the world's population will be in a water stressed area by
2025. It isn’t always easy to up and change the way you live your life, but even the smallest
amount of water conservation helps. In my opinion, a great way to be sure this happens is by
teaching children at a young age how they can conserve water and make a difference in our
environment.